Character Interview: Stan Morris & Kathy from ‘Surviving the Fog’

Everyone please help me in welcoming back Stan Morris, who was with us before to answer Ten Questions! Today he joins us with Kathy, from Surviving the Fog and Surviving the Fog–Kathy’s Recollection. Welcome back!

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Mia: What is the name of the book where we’ll find you? Can you tell us a little about it?

Kathy: I’m in two books. The first was Surviving the Fog. I had a role in one chapter, and I got mentioned in some other chapters, but I wasn’t like, a major character or anything. My big role is in Surviving the Fog-Kathy’s Recollections. I’m the narrator, so it’s mostly about me and my friends. And my boyfriend, of course.

Mia: Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?

Kathy: As I said, I’m the narrator. When the story starts, I’m fourteen years old. I was born in Concord, California which is a city east of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area, and I was living in Morgan Hill, California when the story begins. I’m blond, I have blue eyes, I’m short when the story begins, and I’m a little introverted. I certainly didn’t want to go to a camp that was supposed to preach abstinence and teach methods of birth control. I don’t know why my parents made me go. I didn’t have any problem with abstinence, and I had no interest in learning to roll a condom over a you-know-what.

Mia: What do you think of the author? Be honest. We won’t tell.

Kathy: He’s okay for an old guy. I mean, he doesn’t treat us like we‘re all super intelligent, super nice kids. If anything, he could have made us a little cooler. At least, he could have made me that way.

Mia: How do you feel about the story you’re in?

Kathy: Well, except for the part where all my relatives die, I’m good with it. I like Surviving the Fog-Kathy’s Recollections better, because it’s more about the girls. The first book was mostly about the boys, and it didn’t give us girls the proper credit for all the ways we helped the tribe survive. And I like how the second book tells about the families we created.

Mia: Do you like being a character in the book?

Kathy: I like it. I would like it more if it had a cooler title. I would have preferred, The Exciting Adventures of a Beautiful Blonde, or maybe Kathy Leads the Fight Against the Evil Fog. But, oh no! Oksana says we all have to have the same titles, except for the part about it being our different recollections. I like being the narrator, because that gives the book a more honest account, no matter what the other kids say.

Mia: How do you see your future? Without giving anything away about the story, naturally.

Kathy: Surviving the Fog is a good start, but what happens after that? How do we recreate civilization? And what will happen to the rest of the planet? If you can find an old map that shows the altitudes, you can see where humanity has probably survived and where it has died out. Think for a moment about who lived in the mountains before the Fog came. Those will be the people who rebuild the world. As for myself, I just want my village to be a place where people can live in peace.

Mia: What do you know about your author’s plans? Can we expect to see you in any future stories?

Kathy: Maybe. I know he’s playing around with a story about Dumb Douglas. Why he would want to write about that guy is anyone’s guess. But if he writes a book about Douglas, I’ll probably appear.

Mia: Let’s say they make a movie about this book. Who do you want to play you, and why?

Kathy: Elle Fanning. I saw her in Super 8, and she was so good in that movie. She’s a little older than I was at the start of the book, and since I age in the book, she would be a good choice. Maybe she’s too cute to play me. The real question is who would play my boyfriend, Hector. I think it would be super cool if they could get a Mexican actor who has a good grasp of English.

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Author Bio: Stan Morris (1951-) was born in Linwood, California, to religious fundamentalist parents. He grew up in Norwalk, California and Concord, California, where he discovered the amazing world of hard science fiction and became influenced by conservative atheism and liberal humanitarianism. He moved to New Mexico in 1972, and finally to Maui, Hawaii in 1983. He worked in a variety of jobs at oil and gas companies, driving situations, and computer tech operations. He retired in 2006. His first book, “Surviving the Fog,” was published in 2009. He lives on a farm and grows coffee, avocados, tangerines, peaches, plumeria, a variety of vegetables and herbs, and an incredible amount of weeds. He is married to Rene Yamafuji. They have two sons.

Author Site: https://sites.google.com/site/stanandrene/